Gorillaz, the cartoon band with Damon Albarn at the faders and Jamie Hewlitt on the felt tips, have had a pretty spectacular run of successes from debut single Clint Eastwood to previous album 2005’s Demon Days with its memorable vision of Shaun Ryder’s disembodied head burbling “It’s Dare!”. But is Plastic Beach as inventive as Blue Peter’s Tracey Island make or just full of recycled ideas?
Marina and The Diamonds might sound like a band but in fact that collective name is merely the front for one woman – the half-Greek/half-Welsh Marina Diamandis. She first popped up last year among the gaggle of female tips for the top that included Florence & The Machine and La Roux but do The Family Jewels sparkle or are they junk gems? Read our Marina and The Diamonds – The Family Jewels review to find out.
Peter Gabriel hasn’t been heard from much recently outside of film soundtracks (including Wall-E and…um…Babe: Pig In City) and his involvement with We7 but now he’s back with Scratch My Back, a covers record which takes on modern acts like Bon Iver, Elbow and Radiohead. But is Scratch My Back sprung from the genesis of a good idea or more suitable for a sledgehammer? Read our Peter Gabriel, Scratch My Back review now.
Massive Attack’s Heligoland is only their fifth album and arrives seven years after 100th Window, its previous record which featured only Robert “3D” del Naja. With Massive Attack back as a band, we grabbed our Sennheiser RS160s to see whether this new LP is truly massive or deserving of attack. Read our Heligoland review now to find out.
Codeine Velvet Club is a sixties flavoured side-project by a member of The Fratellis. Is the sheer presence of one of indie’s most meat and potatoes band’s the kiss of death? Or does this sixties pastiche manage to be swinging? We strapped on our Beyerdynamic DT 770 PROs and listened in.
The Element of Freedom is Alicia Keys’ fourth album, but to the uninitiated, she’s probably still only know for the cascading soul of Fallin’. We grabbed our Sony Ericsson MH907s to find out if Keys has still got her soul in our The Element of Freedom review.
The Greatest Day Live: Take That Present The Circus Live is the reinvigorated pop act’s latest emanation – two CDs of live tracks and stripped down versions recorded at Abbey Road. We bravely strapped on a pair of Sony Ericsson MH907s to take a listen to what those Mancunian pop giants have made and here are the results in our The Greatest Day Live review.
